Dec. 23: Preparing for 2015

Up early, again. This 5:00 a.m. wake up is fast becoming my favorite time of the day. All is quiet and dark. I love the stillness before dawn.

My mind is churning. One more meeting before a much-needed week off from work. I think it could be my first week off the entire year. And that has me thinking about 2015. As a lover of lists, I can hardly resist the urge to start creating: books to read, organizing to do, places to visit, soul care to accomplish, verses to memorize, Bible studies to complete.

I love the idea of a word for the year. I wrote about this back in July 2013. So I'm pondering words.

STILL - not necessarily the obvious "Be still and know." Although there is much to commend such a word in my life. I was thinking more about the word still as an adverb:

2 Chron. 14:7 - "...The land is still ours, because we have sought the Lord our God. We have sought him, and he has given us peace on every side.”  

Job 13:1 -  Job Continues: Still I Will Hope in God

Psalm 71:17 - O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds.

Isaiah 9:17 - ... His hand is stretched out still.

Romans 5:8 - but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

FILLED - another word that I am chewing on. I do a lot to fill my own cup. Perhaps in 2015 I need to be still (verb) and allow God and others to fill my need.

Exodus 40:35 - [ The Glory of the Lord ] Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.

Psalm 71:8 - My mouth is filled with your praise, and with your glory all the day.

Psalm 81:10 - I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.

Psalm 107:9 - For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things.

Psalm 147:14 - He makes peace in your borders; he fills you with the finest of the wheat.

Just searching the scriptures was fun.